’Tis the season to stock up on the cinnamon!

The thing about festivals is that they give us a break from the quotidian. A tradition, no matter how inexplicable, takes on a higher meaning and significance when it is shared. And traditions that involve a heady sip or two (or more) is never short of ardent followers. So I went looking to see how the world keeps itself warm and fuzzy on the birthday of the boy from Bethlehem.

Caribou This deep blood-red concoction comes from Canada, like the Caribou deer, after which it is named. Comprising red wine, a dark spirit like Canadian Club whisky, and maple syrup (Canada’s cinnamon, really) it is a potent winter-warmer and drunk copiously around Christmas. If it’s warming enough for Canada, it is certainly correct for our climes.

SahlepSahlep is flour obtained from tubers of the locally found wild orchids. This flour was traditionally mixed with water to thicken it, to which then sugar and some orange or rose water was added to finish it off. It was a popular drink of the Ottoman Empire and spread as far as England where versions of the drink incorporated, you guessed it, cinnamon. Sahlep is used in the traditional Turksh ice-cream (giving it a distinct chewy texture) but in winters the same ingredient is made into a hot thick flavourful sweetened beverage.

Buttered rum Imagine making a cup of hot coffee but instead of ground coffee beans you use rum and butter. Also replace the hot water with cider. And then, add spices. So basically, nothing like hot coffee really. Except that this tastes better and revives just as well. It also provides warmth and, after a few cups, a sense of sheer invincibility.

Hot toddy If I had a new ₹500note for every time I came across hot toddy in articles about festive drinks, I need never stand in an ATM queue again. It’s whisky, water and honey, in a ratio which can be altered depending on whether it’s a nightcap or an all-nighter.

Easy to make, which explains its popularity as a home-brewed concoction. Sure you can add some spices to make it more festive. Did someone say, cinnamon?

Mulled wine The quintessential Christmas drink, mulled wine is one of those European traditions which still enchants the masses. Versions abound, but they all involve wine doused with spices enough to line the length of the Silk Route, sugar to make it sippable, and orange slices for flavour and zing.

All this is heated up to extract the flavours. And then it is spiked with a spirit for good measure. Many use vodka so as to not distract from the flavours but dark rum, I believe, can add a few more facets to its sparkle.

Punch You may think a punch is too inelegant a holiday drink but when Christmas is spent on a beach under the sun it’s par for the course, like the sorrel punch in Jamaica. This one’s made from hibiscus petals (sorrel), sugar, lime juice, fresh ginger and a happy helping of rum. The Marley Christmas compilation on loop and it’s a party!

Clearly a little spirit goes a long way in cementing the foundations of a tradition. So now is as good a time as any to light the fuse on a few. Merry tidings.

Karina Aggarwalis an internationally certified beverage professional. She runs the beverage-themed website Gigglewater411

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